Honing head



sept. 30, 1941. W D, MGKEON 2,257,474

HONING HEAD Filed March 18, 1939 5 Sheets-Sheet l -f 1y "-L- M @@W Sept. 30, 1941.

W. D. MCKEON HONING HEAD Filed March 18, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Z9 Snnemor E @Q43 Q (XM Cmome Sept. 30, 1941. w. D. MCKEON 2,257,474

HONING HEAD Filed March 18, 1939 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Sept. 30, 1.941

v noNmGnEAn William D. McKeon, Worcester, Masi., assigner to Norton Company, Worcester, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application March 18, i939, Serial No. 262,803

This invention relates to a honing head, and more particularly to a device comprising abrasive sticks adapted Vto be rotated and reciprocated relative to a work surface for polishing or abrading the same.

Heretofore, various devices have been provided for mechanically adjusting a set of abrasive sticks on the honing head so that they will make proper contact with the work and to provide for self alignment of thesticks and take up for wear of the abrasive material and the work be- `ing ground. Such constructions have been compiece suitably mounted for the honing operation. The abrasive sticks may be made of any suitable material, such as crystalline alumina or silicon carbide bonded by standard bonds, such as vitriiied ceramic materials, rubber or resinoids heat set in position. The sticks are removable and replacable as desired and the honing head v ers through suitable bearing holes plicated in design, delicate in adjustment, ex-` pensive tomanufacture and costly in thereplacement `of parts. 1

matic in its operation and will adjust the abrasive sticks into proper honing position relative to a work surface and hold then there under anV equalized and 'predetermined-pressure. Further', Y

objects will beV apparent' in the following disclosure. I

Inaccordance with my invention, I have provided a honing head in which the abrasive sticks are adjusted and held properly in position by a fluid pressure device, andw'hich in particular comprises a flexible body Aadapted to contain fluid under Apressure which is so constructed and arranged that itwill impart automatically a predetermined pressure to the abrasive sticks and hold them satisfactorily in contact with the work. This automatic operation may be provided by means of either air or a liquid under pressure applied from an external source.

Referring to the drawings which illustrate the preferred embodiments of the invention:

Fig. 1 is a vertical section, broken away, of a reciprocable and rotatable honing head arranged for honing an internal cylindrical surface;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section, broken away, of a honing head arranged for honing an external Y may be adapted for all sorts of abrading operations. The sticks are suitably cemented or otherwise mounted in metal holders Il provided with pins Yl2 projecting radially from the hold- I3 in a housing Il, which is shaped as a hollow cylindrical cup-shaped body closed at its bottom by a removable plate I5. The abrasive holders I2 have hook shaped ends |'6 winch are engaged by two endless coiled springs I 1 so arranged as to hold the abrasive sticks radially inwardly against the outside of the housing.

. The primary feature of thislnvention lies in the application-of a fluid pressure to hold the abrasive sticks against the work -to be lapped under a desired and uniform pressure. To this end, I provide a flexible container 20 made, for example, of rubber and shaped as a cylindrical bag. This container contacts with the inner face of a thin, flexible wall 22 having its ends slightly overlapped and forming a cylinder completely surrounding the bag. The outside of this spring metal wall 22 contacts with floating shoes 23 loosely fitted on the sliding pins I2 which are Y welded on the backs of the spring clips I6 in turn welded on the abrasive metal holders Il', so that any movement of these pins l2 is transmitted directly to the abrasive sticks. Hence, any expansive movement of the rubber bag under fluid pressure serves to move the abrasive sticks outwardly, if an internal surface is to be honed.

The construction shown in Fig. 3 may be employed for finishing the'outer surface of a cylindrical work piece 24 of suitable shape and supported as desired. The hone for lapping that external surface comprises the honing sticks 25 mounted in metal holders 26 which may be of any suitable number, such as four. 'I'he outer surface of each oi'- these abrasive stick holders is welded to a strip of metal 21 having hooked shaped ends 28. A block 29 is welded to the back of each of these strips so that the abrasive holder and the block 29 are integral. The blocks 29 have parallel side surfaces and are slidably mounted in slots in an inner cylinder 30 which is open at the bottom and has a top 3| thereon. The slots are cut the entire height ofthe cylindrical wall and are shaped to permit a sliding fit that is Ibeing honed. The assembly above described is mounted within an outer cylindrical housing 34 which is open at its bottom end but partially closed by a removable ring shaped plate 35. The upper reduced end of the housing 34 4is screw-threaded and attached to the T-head 35 of a tube 31. The threads of this reduced end portion extend inwardly to a point where 'they engage threads on the inner cylinder 35 and thus serve to support that cylinder.

In order to apply fluid pressure to the movable honing -sticks and their supporting blocks 29, in the arrangement shown in Fig. 3, I provide one or more rubber bags, which in the present instance is shown as a hollow walled ring shaped bag 35 of any suitable flexible material, such as rubber, mounted on the removable plate 35 and engaging the inside oi the outer housing 24. The inner wall of this rubber bag engages a thin resilient sheet metal wall 33 which has its ends overlapping slightly and is so arranged and constituted that this wall is substantially cylindrical and will receive the pressure caused by expanding the rubber bag and transmit that pressure directly to the slide blocks 23 (Fig. 4). 'I'he wall 33 extends the entire height of the rubber bag and the latter is thereby enclosed be.. tween this wall, the outer housing, the bottom .removable plate 35 and the top wall oi the outer housing. Fluid under pressure may be introduced into this ring shaped rubber bag through one or more rubber pipes 40 connecting the top portion of the bag with a header 4| which in turn is connected to a rubber tube 42 located within a retaining cylindrical wall 44 held in place by collars 45 within the outer supporting tube 31.

The two honing devices above described are each supported and supplied with fluid under pressure by the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The cylinder I4 of Fig. 1 is supported by the tube 45, corresponding with tube 31 of Fig. 3,

which is threaded into the reduced top 41 of the housing I4. These metal tubes 31 and @45 are supported for rotation and reciprocation by a universal Joint of the type shown in the patent to Indge No. 2,082,737, which permits alignment of the honing sticks with the work piece. I'he upper ends of the tubes 31 and 45 have flanges 45 thereon. each of which is provided with a partial spherical surface on its inner portion which forms part of a socket for the ball 45 of a universal joint. IA split sleeve 52 is likewise provided with a spherical' surface fitting against the upper part of the ball; and a sleeve 54 surroundfing the split sleeve-52 is secured thereto as by cap screws so as to hold the parts in place. 'I'he two portions of the split sleeve have flanges thereon locking beneath the flange 45 of the tube 45. A pin 55 passing through the ballll limits the swinging motion of the head. 'An upper universal joint 55 is similarly constructed as shown in said Indge patent, and the ball of that yjoint is formed on a tapered shank 52 lwhich is suitably secured within thehollow spindle 54 for rotation and reciprocation therewith. The spin' dle 54 is rotatably and slidably mounted within a sleeve 55 in the framework 53 of the machine.

The ball 53 of the lower universal Joint is integral with a short sleeve which is screw threaded into the lower end of a tube 12 forming the lower part of the upper universal joint. The rubber tube 42 passes upwardly through the lower universal joint and into the upper metal tube 12. and its flared top portion 14 is held tightly against the inner wall of an enlarged portion of the tube 1l by means of a cap 15 threaded into the upper end of that tube.

The tube 42 is cemented or suitably secured to the bag 20 of Fig. 1 and the header 4I of Fig. 3 and arranged to transmit fluid under pressure to the expansible bag. A suitable fluid, such as compressed air. or water or oil under pressure, is passed into the interior of the tube 12 and into either of the rubber bags shown in the drawings from a pipe line 50 suitably ,connected to a source of fluid under pressure through a control valve 52. The pipe is supported by means of a collar 54 fastened on the lower end of a rod 85 which slides through a hole 86 in the framework 68 as the head is reciprocated vertically. 'I'he pipe 30 is threaded into a collar90 on the upper end of the tube 12. 'I'his collar has an entrance port 9| connected with an annular port 92 in the collar, and further ports 33 in the sleeve 12 and cap 15 connect that annular port with the interior of the tube 12 so that fluid may be admitted to the tube as it rotates. A supporting echar 94 pinned to the tube holds the uid admitting collar in proper position.

It will now be appreciated that when compressed air or a liquid under pressure is admitted through the pipe 30 into the upper end of to cool the work or otherwise aid in the honing operation. and other suitable precautions may be taken as desired to protect the parts.

By means of these constructions, a high or a low pressure as desired and thus obtain a very flexible operation of the honing head. If compressed air is used, the abrasive sticks are held under resilient pressure against the work. Ii desired-I may force duid under pressure into the bag and then close the valve 52 and thus hold thesticks in place with a fixed pressure. If the valve is leftopen, then the fluid within they system will be held under a resilient pressure and thus permit the abrasive sticks to follow more readily an out of round contour of the work. Such a construction isparticularly serviceable for grinding surfaces that are out of round, and in that case the abrasive sticks will follow the surface with an equalized pressure at all points and thus polish or otherwise finish the internal surface without changing its contour materially.

' Various other 'modifications may be made in the constructional features of the honing head, and it will, therefore, be appreciated that the above description is to be considered as illustrative of the principles of the invention and not as limiting the scope thereof except as defined in the appended claims.

I may apply arranged for rotation' and reciprocatioma set 5 of abrasive sticks having supporting members carried by and movable radially of the housing, a movable metal sheathing which contacts with said members, and means including a flexible bag within the metal sheathing which is arlo ranged to contain uid and apply pressure thereto to move the abrasive sticks.

2. A honing device comprising a hollow head mounted for rotation and reciprocation, a set ot movable abrasive sticks carried by the honing head, ra metal sheathing within the head arranged to move said sticks, a flexible container within the sheathing adapted to move the metal sheathing and adjust the abrasive sticks towards the work, resilient means for holding the abrasive sticks away from the work and means including an external pipe line for admitting iluid under pressure into the interior of the container during rotation and reciprocation of the head and thereby holding the abrasive sticks in honing contact with a work piece.

WILLIAM D. MdKEON. 

